Reds Trade Casey and Cash to the Pirates for Williams
The Reds cut salary by trading fan favorite first baseman Sean Casey to the Pirates for left-hander Dave Williams. Casey is a ground ball hitter, so home runs are hard to come by, making him a below average first baseman. He does hit the ball hard, making him .300 hitter annually. He takes over at first base for the Pirates.
Williams is a fourth or fifth starter that has shown promise in the past, but never truly delivered. He now has to pitch in a hitter-friendly stadium, thereby lowering his value.
Yankees Trade Womack to the Reds for Prospects
The Yankees dumped Tony Womack on the Reds for two minor leaguers. At 36, Womack’s skills are fading. Although he still has his speed (27 SB), he needs to hit for a higher average to have value. In 2005, he hit only .249.
Kevin Howard had a decent season in Double-A, hitting .296 with 12 home runs in 479 ABs. Benjamin Himes, an outfielder, also had a solid year, hitting .300 with 30 doubles and 11 home runs in Single-A.
Royals Sign Dessens to a Two-Year Contract
Elmer Dessens missed the early part of the season with bone spurs. When he returned, he split time between the bullpen and rotation for the Dodgers. With the Royals, Dessens is expected to be in the bullpen for 2006.
Tigers Sign Jones to a Two-Year Contract
Todd Jones signed the big contract after taking over as closer for the Marlins in 2005. Since being traded by the Tigers in 2001, he has been on five different teams. When Jones signed with the Marlins, it looked like his career was at an end. He was a desperate solution to the closer problem and he succeeded beyond expectations (40 saves, 2.10 ERA, 62 K in 73 innings). Jones will close for the Tigers.
Rockies Sign Mesa to a One-Year Contract
Jose Mesa lost the closer job in Pitsburgh after blowing three saves in a row in September. The Pirates bought out the last year of his contract to get rid of him. Now with the Rockies, he will be the primary set-up man behind Brian Fuentes.
Red Sox Trade Renteria and Cash to the Braves for Marte
Disappointed by his performance after signing him a four-year deal in 2004, the Red Sox traded Edgar Renteria, along with some of his salary, to the Braves for prospect Andy Marte. Renteria had a disappointing season in Boston. He hit .276 with 36 doubles and eight home runs, results far below what was expected in hitter-friendly Fenway Park. Renteria's defense was uncharacteristic poor with reduced range and 30 errors in 153 games. The Braves are hoping he will return to form out of the limelight.
Boston receives top Braves prospect Marte. He split time between Triple-A and the majors, batting .275 with 20 home runs in 389 ABs in the minors. Marte drew 64 walks and struck out 83 times. He probable needs half a season in Triple-A, and that may happen as the Red Sox also have Mike Lowell to play third. Marte could also figure into the Bosox's first base situation.
Mets Sign Franco to a Two-Year Contract
Julio Franco took the next step to in his quest to be a 50-year-old Major Leaguer by signing a two-year deal with the Mets. Now relegated to facing only left-handers and pinch hitting, he is nothing other than a good story and has little roto value.
Twins Trade Romero to the Angels for Prospect
J.C. Romero has battled control problems his entire career. When he has control of his pitches, he puts up solid numbers. When he does not, he gets hammered. Romero pitched 57 innings with a 3.47 ERA, walking 39 while striking out 48.
The Angels give up 21-year-old Alexi Casilla, an infielder who played both second and short this season. He hit .311 with 49 stolen bases in 366 ABs. Casilla will fight for a utility job in the Majors.
Phillies Trade Padilla to the Rangers for Rodriguez
The Phillies and Rangers swapped damaged pitchers when they traded Vicente Padilla for Ricardo Rodriguez.
Throwing back-to-back 200-inning seasons at the age of 24 and 25 caught up to Padilla. His control has suffered as his hits, walks and home runs have gone up, and his strikeouts have gone down. Now Padilla must pitch in a hitter- friendly stadium and league.
Rodriguez lost his job in the Ranger rotation after going 2-3 with a 5.53 ERA in 10 starts. He was demoted to Triple-A, and fared much better, going 7-3 with 2.91 ERA. Rodriguez does not throw hard and has to be precise to be effective.
Both pitchers are expected to be in the rotation of their respective teams.
Giants Sign Morris to a Three-Year Contract
The Giants solidified their rotation by signing free agent Matt Morris to a three-year deal. He had a good comeback season after his poor 2004 outing, going 14-10 with a 4.12 ERA in 31 starts. While Morris did have a good year, there are some concerns about his health. St. Louis kept him on a strict pitch count all year. Morris has had a steadily decreasing strikeout rate for the past five years. His hits are up as well. These are some indications that a three-year contract is risky. Pitching in SBC Park will have your opponent drooling in anticipation. Bid wisely.
Nationals Trade Wilkerson and Sledge to the Rangers for Soriano
The Rangers parted with Alfonso Soriano by trading him to the Nationals for Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge and Armando Galarraga.
Soriano had a solid year, hitting .268 with 36 home runs and stealing 30 bases while playing poor defense at second. The Nationals already have a second baseman in Jose Vidro, so there is some question where Soriano will play. Washington has said that it intends to play him in left field. But, Soriano has said that he wants to play second. Batting in RFK will have a detrimental effect on his power, while playing a position he doesn’t want to will have a detrimental effect on his morale.
The Rangers receive two injured outfielders in Wilkerson and Sledge. Wilkerson suffered throughout the season with an irritated ulnar nerve that robbed him of his power. Sledge tore a hamstring then hurt his shoulder, ending his season early. He is expected to be healthy by spring.
The Rangers also got 23-year-old starter Galarraga, who split time in Single and Double-A. He is expected to return to Double-A in 2006.
Cardinals Sign Rincon to a Two-Year Deal
The Cardinals signed former Oakland reliever Ricardo Rincon to a two-year deal to be the lefty specialist out of the bullpen. Normally very reliable against left-handers, he did not fare as well in 2005, as he allowed them to hit .250 with three home runs.
Pirates Trade Mackowiak to the White Sox for Marte
The Pirates traded super utility player Rob Mackowiak to the White Sox for lefty reliever Damaso Marte. Mackowiak played every position except short and catcher in 2005, hitting .272 with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. He was hitting .303 by the All-Star break, but hurt his knee and played the second half at less than 100 percent. For the White Sox, Mackowiak will again play all over the diamond.
Marte had some serious control problems in 2005, giving up 33 walks and five home runs in 45 innings. He will be used out of the bullpen with the Pirates.
Dodgers Trade Bradley and Perez to the Athletics for Ethier
The Athletics decided to take a risk and make a deal to bring in Milton Bradley to be their left fielder. His run-ins with the Dodgers and Indians are well documented. What is not as well documented is how Bradley was developing as a hitter until his season ended early due to injury. He was on pace to hit 27 home runs while still maintaining a good batting average. Bradley is expected to healthy for Spring Training, and shifting to a corner outfield spot should reduce the strain on his body.
Antonio Perez played both second and third for the Dodgers in 2005, hitting .297 with 11 stolen bases in 259 ABs. He is expected to be the utility man for the Athletics.
The Dodgers receive minor league outfielder Andre Ethier. CREATiVESPORTS.com owner Lawr Michaels has discussed Ethier in his columns and called him the smoothest outfielder in the Arizona Fall League. I saw Ethier with Lawr and I agree with his assessment. He has the speed to steal 20 bases in the Majors, but hasn't come close to that figure in the minors because he was with Oakland and the A's don't accentuate that skill in their system.
Astros Re-Sign Ausmus to a Two-Year Contract
The Astros re-signed 37-year-old catcher Brad Ausmus to a two-year deal. His skill set is not conducive to rotisserie play: he hits for little power and low averages. Ausmus' 2005 on-base percentage of .345 was a five-year best. He also has no speed. As a baseball player, Ausmus is a Gold Glove catcher with a strong arm and experience in calling games. That is why the Astros want him and you don’t.
Orioles Sign Hernandez to a Four-Year Contract
The Orioles won the bidding war for the services of Ramon Hernandez behind the plate. A rare combination of glove and bat at catcher, he was highly prized. The biggest question mark for Hernandez is his durability. He makes one or two trips to the DL every year due to the beating a catcher takes behind the plate. Getting out of San Diego will allow Hernandez to return to the 20-plus home run level he achieved in Oakland in 2003.
Javy Lopez will move to designated hitter or first base to make room for Hernandez.
Mariners Sign Everett to a One-Year Contract
The Mariners signed Carl Everett to a one-year deal with a team option. He filled in as designated hitter for the injured Frank Thomas for the White Sox this season, hitting .251 with 23 home runs in 490 ABs. Everett will be the DH for the Mariners.
Dodgers Sign Mueller to a Two-Year Contract
The Dodgers hope they have solved their problems at third base by signing Bill Mueller to a two-year deal. He hits for a high average and gets on base at a good clip, but has limited power. Moving from Fenway to Dodger Stadium will only decrease Mueller's power output. He hit .295 with a .367 OBP and 10 home runs in 519 ABs for Boston in 2005.
Cardinals Sign Looper to a Three-Year Contract
The St. Louis Cardinals signed former Mets closer Braden Looper to a three-year, $13.5 million contract to be the set-up man behind Jason Isringhausen. Looper had surgery to repair damage in his right shoulder in September. The injury had reduced his fastball from 94 mph to 88 mph, but he's expected to be healthy by Spring Training.
Despite the injury, Looper pitched 59.1 innings with a 3.94 ERA and 28 saves.
Royals Sign Four
The Royals signed four players to one-year deals each.
Scott Elarton, formerly of the Indians, will join the Royals rotation. He is a soft-tossing inning eater who gives up too many home runs. For Cleveland this year, he went 11-9 with a 4.62 ERA.
Former Cardinal Mark Grudzielanek had a solid season in 2005, hitting .294 with eight home runs in 528 ABs. He will play second for the Royals.
Doug Mientkiewicz, formerly with the Mets, is known mostly for his glove at first and not considered a dangerous hitter. As a part-timer this season, he hit .240 with 11 home runs in 275 ABs.
Paul Bako is a career back-up catcher who will continue in the role in KC.
Dodgers Sign Garciaparra to a One-Year Contract
The Dodgers signed Nomar Garciaparra to a one-year, $6 million deal to play first base. He missed large parts of the season with a torn left groin. Fortunately, his right groin was not affected. In limited action with the Cubs, he hit .283 with nine home runs in 230 ABs.
White Sox Re-Sign Pierzynski to a Three-Year Deal
The White Sox re-signed bad boy and ALC hero A.J. Pierzynski to a three-year, $15 million deal. He had been run out of two organizations prior to joining Chicago, where he seems to have fit in. Pierzynski set a career record this year with 18 home runs in 460 ABs, but his batting average dropped to .257. He is expected to get the majority of games behind the plate in 2006.
Mariners Sign Washburn to a Four-Year Deal
Jarrod Washburn joined the Mariner rotation after signing a four-year, $37.5 million deal. He started 29 games for the Angels this season, and went 8-8 with a 3.20 ERA. A closer inspection of these statistics shows that his strikeout rate has down five years in a row. Also of concern is that Washburn complained of tightness in his forearm all season. Bid at your own risk.
Dodgers Sign Lofton to a One-Year Deal
After dealing away Bradley, the Dodgers filled the open spot in center field by signing veteran Kenny Lofton to a one-year deal. Lofton hit .335 in part-time play with the Phillies in 2005. Once the best lead-off hitter in baseball, his skills have diminished. Lofton no longer has outstanding range in center and is better suited for left. The double-digit home run power is gone. He still gets on base and swipes a few, however.
Rockies Re-Sign Fuentes to a Two-Year Deal
Brian Fuentes agreed to continue to close for the Rockies by re-signing with the club for two-years at $5.5 million. He became the closer in Colorado after Chin-hui Tsao went down with another injury, and despite pitching in Colorado, Fuentes excelled, saving 31 games with a 2.91 ERA.
White Sox Land Vazquez
In a deal started by Javier Vazquez's request to play closer to his home in Puerto Rico, the Diamondbacks traded him to the White Sox for starter Orlando Hernandez, reliever Luis Vizcaino and minor league outfielder Chris Young.
Vazquez recovered from a poor 2004 outing. His strikeout and walk rates returned to their 2003 levels when he when 13-12 with a 3.24 ERA. In 2005, he went 11-15 with a 4.42 ERA. The higher ERA was caused mostly by giving up 35 home runs in 215 innings.
Hernandez missed part of the 2005 season with a sore shoulder. He started out strong, but lost his rotation spot by September. El Duque ended the season 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA. He is expected to be at full strength by Spring Training and will join the Diamondback rotation.
Vizcaino is a middle reliever who went 6-5 with a 3.73 ERA. He will fill a similar role for the Diamondbacks.
Outfielder Young, 21, also joins the Diamondbacks. He had a solid season in Double-A, hitting .276 with 26 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 468 ABs. Young also drew 71 walks while striking out 129 times. He will report to Triple-A and be groomed to be the center fielder for the Diamondbacks in 2007.
Cubs Sign Jones to a Three-Year Deal
The Cubs signed Jacque Jones to a three-year deal and hope that he’ll turn his career around. He hit .249 with 23 home runs in 523 ABs in 2005. Jones put up back-to-back .300 seasons in 2002 and 2003. Because he doesn’t walk much, he needs to hit for average to have value. Jones is also good for double-digit steals.
He will play right field for Chicago.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and finds peace in 2006.